


settling into perfection (and this will be the one moment that matters at all)

by sebastian2017



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Multi, No Apocalypse, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-30 09:06:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian2017/pseuds/sebastian2017
Summary: Erik and Magda get settled in to life at the mansion, but Erik's not quite as over Charles as he once thought he was.





	settling into perfection (and this will be the one moment that matters at all)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [and this will be the one moment that matter at all](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8665402) by [afrocurl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl). 
  * In response to a prompt by [afrocurl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrocurl/pseuds/afrocurl) in the [xmen_remix_madness2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmen_remix_madness2019) collection. 



> CW: food mention

The conversations they need to have should have probably happened before Erik brought his family over. They should have happened years ago, to be fair, but lacking that, it most certainly should have happened he came back to the mansion with Nina and Magda in tow. Unfortunately, their situations rarely aligned to make things simple for them and they didn’t have much of a choice. So here Erik is, pacing back and forth in the bedroom he and Magda were placed in, waiting anxiously for Charles to be free of the day’s responsibilities so they could talk. 

“I highly doubt he’s going to kick us out now. You don’t have to look so worried,” Magda says. Earlier, she’d tried to get him to sit, but she’s just about given up on that now and she’s simply sitting at the edge of their bed and watching him. 

“He won’t. He’s not that type of man. Still…” Erik sighs. “This talk has been long overdue. I’m nervous to have it, I suppose.” 

“I know. But pacing a hole into the carpet won’t do much good, no matter how you look at it,” she reminds him. 

Erik doesn’t stop, though he does slow a bit. He knows that, of course, but his nervous energy needs somewhere to go. “I’ll be calmer once we’ve spoken. Why don’t you go be with Nina, instead? I understand how this might be a bit nerve wracking.” 

“You’re in no state to be left alone, my love,” Magda insists. 

It’s true, even if Erik hates to admit it. He’s a bit of a mess right now and if left alone, Erik can’t quite guarantee that he won’t go back to the same reckless behavior of his youth.Having a wife and daughter to look after is helpful in making sure he stays in line, but it’s been a stressful few days. He can’t guarantee he’s on his most logical behavior. 

He relents, eventually, and sits down next to Magda. He doesn’t see any reason that they should both be stressed out and all his pacing and fussing is clearly getting to her as well. Taking care of himself has always been easiest when he disguises it as taking care of his loved ones. Eventually, he feels the tell tale sign of Charles’ mind nudging up against his and he stands once more, explaining to Magda that Charles is calling for him and he’s off to have their overdue conversation. 

Magda pulls him down for a kiss before he can leave. “Good luck. You’re a good man. I’ve always seen that and your friend does as well,” she says. 

Erik’s not so sure how true that is, but he doesn’t want to argue tonight, especially not about this, so he nods and kisses her once more before taking the somehow still familiar walk to Charles’ office. He lets himself in and goes to take a seat by Charles. It seems foolish to add any more delay to this for the sake of niceties when he’s already been invited. Charles has let him invade his home. Barging into his office is a small thing by comparison. 

“It’s been a long time since we last saw each other, old friend,” Charles remarks. “I’d ask how you are, but I’m afraid I already know the answer. I wish our meeting could have been under better circumstances.” 

“That’s just the sort of luck my life has always had, I suppose,” Erik mumbles, crossing a leg over his knee so he can fiddle anxiously with a loose thread on his trousers. 

Charles wheels over two glasses and a decanter of whiskey, pouring out glasses for the both of them. “You look well. These last few years have been good on you.” 

“The quiet, domestic life was doing that for me. Shame it was ripped away.” Erik snorts softly, quelling down a brief flash of rage when he thinks of those humans who’d been so eager to imprison him for saving a man’s life. It does no good to dwell on that. He owes it to Magda to not get caught up in angry thoughts like those. “Thank you for giving us a place to stay. If you’d rather only Magda and Nina stay, for safety reasons, I’ll gladly make my leave once they’ve settled in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Erik. Of course you can stay. I…” Charles hesitates, then takes a sip of his drink and shrugs. “I love you. Perhaps despite my better judgement. I’m happy to do this for you.” 

“Charles…” Erik isn’t even sure where to start. It’s not as though they hadn’t said those words to each other before, but it seems like a lifetime go. They were different men. 

Charles just shakes his head. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to say it back or anything of that sort.” 

“I have a wife that I love very dearly, Charles…” Erik says. It lies in an awkward place between telling Charles he reciprocates and telling him he feels nothing at all, but Erik can’t seem to stand more firmly on either side. 

“I know. I don’t say it to make you think you owe me anything. I just… want to make sure you know you have nothing to worry about while you’re here. You’ll always have a place to call home when you need it,” he promises. 

“I… should get back to Magda.” 

They barely even started the conversation they were in desperate need of having, let alone said anything of importance, but Erik’s pretty sure they won’t get much further than this today. It’s unfair to Charles that Erik runs off like this after everything Charles has done for him. But after a decade apart, especially considering the way they’d parted, Erik was prepared for many things, but one thing he hadn’t planned ahead for was Charles still caring for him beyond just a sense of duty for other mutants. Magda gives him a strange look when he gets back to their bedroom. 

“You just left. I’d have thought you’d be talking for much longer,” she remarks. 

“It got…” Erik pauses, trying to think of how he’d even begin to describe such a thing. “Complicated.” 

“Complicated,” Magda repeats dubiously. 

Erik says no more, instead going to join her in the bed and gathering her into his arms for desperate kisses and caresses. She’s the only one for him. His one true love and not threatened by Charles’ presence at all. He’s not sure who he’s trying to convince of that. Himself, Magda, or Charles. Regardless, he doesn’t let himself ponder it for too long, as he lays her atop of him and lays his hands at her waist to hold her close. Magda indulges him for a few minutes, kissing him back and letting him clutch at her clothes with a desperation they should have long ago outgrown. 

As soon as Erik tries to snake his hand under her blouse, though, she pulls away from him and goes to lay down next to him instead. Erik whines softly at losing her weight atop of him and turns onto his side to stare at her, wondering if perhaps whatever problem has arisen between them can be solved with a few stares. She meets his gaze, but it’s with a tired sort of resignation that Erik would never want to see on her face. 

“You love him,” she says. Doesn’t even ask, which hurts more, somehow, even if it frees up some of the responsibility from Erik’s shoulders. 

“What? Magda…” Erik lets out a long breath and turns onto his back to stare at the ceiling again. “I love  _ you. _ ” 

Magda nods, reaching down to take his hand and holding it gently, like she thinks he’ll let go at any second. “I know you do. I don’t mean to imply that you don’t. I just think you love him as well. You told me once… about a summer in 1962. You fell in love, you said, but it ended horribly and hurt you and you didn’t want to talk about it. It was him, wasn’t it?”

“...yes,” he confesses. Magda’s always been able to see right through him. No point in lying. 

“We should both get some sleep, I think. Talk about this with clear heads in the morning.” 

“All right… Should I leave you to sleep alone?” 

“You stay right there, love. Don’t even think of leaving me.” 

“Never.” 

\----------

The next day is probably the most awkward day of Erik’s life. Magda’s already gone by the time Erik wakes up. He finds her downstairs, getting breakfast ready for Nina in the kitchen Charles had set aside for them to use. Because fate seems to hate every inch of him, Charles is there as well, already sat at the table with Nina. Erik is sure Charles had coe without any sort of ill intentions. He’d probably been hoping to be a good host and meet his new guests, unaware of the conversation that had gone on between Magda and Erik the previous night. That doesn’t make it any less mortifying. 

“Good morning,” Erik says stiffly, going to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee and give Magda a good morning kiss. She allows it, thankfully, so perhaps not everything is lost. 

“Good to see you, Erik. I got to meet the lovely Miss Nina this morning.” Charles gestures to Nina with a grand flourish. She giggles at it, apparently already smitten with Charles. If Charles feels awkward after last night, he doesn’t show it. “I was just telling her stories about when her Papa was younger.” 

Erik goes to take a seat, since Magda’s already plating their food and doesn’t seem to require much help. “Nothing to ruin my reputation, I hope.” 

“You do that all on your own, my love,” Magda teases. It’s a joke, clearly, but it still stings. 

Erik doesn’t say anything about that, because what could he possibly say in front of Charles and Nina? Thus begins their incredibly quiet, uncomfortable breakfast together. It’s not actually quiet, since Nina is talking nonstop, telling Charles about how she’s friends with animals and telling her parents about all the new friends she’s already made in the woods by the mansion. The adults mostly just nod along. Erik doesn’t think it can get much worse, until Nina’s finished her breakfast and Magda sends her away to play.

He almost gets up to follow her, but the way Magda looks at him makes it quite clear that he’s expected to stay. If breakfast with Nina innocently unaware of the awkward silence between them was bad, this is ten times worse. Magda looks between the two of them for a long moment and if Charles hadn’t known something was up before, he does now, judging by how uncomfortable he looks.

“You’re a good man, Charles. I can see why my husband loves you, even after so long apart,” Magda states.

Charles turns worryingly paler, which Erik didn’t even know was possible. “There were no hidden motives behind my invitation to your family, Mrs. Lehnsherr. Truly.”

“Mrs. Eisenhardt, actually, but call me Magda,” she insists. “I wasn’t suggesting either of you any sort of plans. I’m only stating a fact.”

“Ah. Well, regardless of how I feel about Erik, his heart belongs to you. You’ve nothing to fear.” Charles is sat stiff as can be while he says this and doesn’t look in Erik’s direction at all. Erik can’t really blame him. 

Magda laughs, which is admittedly a bit jarring. “You’re just as oblivious as my husband, aren’t you?” 

“Magda. Please believe me when I say I have no intentions of being unfaithful to you. You have nothing to worry about while we’re here,” Erik assures her, reaching forward to take her hand. 

“Oh, Erik.” Magda squeeze it and brings it up to her lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. “I’ve always said you have too big of a heart for anyone to function. It’s why you do everything with so much passion. It seems you’ve even got too big of a heart for just one.” 

“Nothing will happen. I swear it,” Erik promises. 

Magda shakes her head. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I mean… Well, Charles, I’ve always been good about sharing. Perhaps we can come to something agreeable for all three of us so no one has to hang around the house in misery.” 

“I… what?” 

  
  


\----------

And thus starts their strange little family of four. At first, it’s simply Erik splitting his time between two lovers. Charles is lovely, Magda says, but she’s not interested in a bigger relationship than just the two of them. Charles agrees that Magda is beautiful, inside and out, but he wouldn’t dare intrude. So Erik is happy with the strange sort of thing they have going. Then came a terrible week, when word gets out somehow of Erik’s presence in the mansion and a handful of government agents come to turn the place inside out in search of him. Charles’ telepathy had warned them, of course, so Erik made sure to be far from New York the whole time they were searching for him and keeping surveillance. It had been horribly stressful, of course, and when he returned, he’d found that Magda had sought out comfort in Charles’ bed during one of those sleepless nights. Perhaps he should have been a bit jealous to see them going to each other without ever having told him, but in reality, he’d just been happy to see his favorite people in the world come together. 

Their next plan had been to keep it a secret, just something to sneak away to during the night. But Charles was far too much of a romantic to not want to take them out on dates whenever he could, even if it meant going to high class restaurants and paying the waiters substantial tips so they wouldn’t question their strange trio. It didn’t help that Magda and Charles had fallen head over heels for each other, as well. Erik thought the normal reaction was to feel a bit threatened, but really, he’s just as happy seeing them together as he is being with them. 

Their intentions to not let Nina find out had also, quite predictably, not gone as planned. Nothing seemed to with them. She’d walked in on the three of them in bed together one morning and while it was every bit as mortifying as one would expect, there were few things that could shock someone living in a house full of mutants. So while it took a bit of explaining, Nina had been happy to accept Charles as a strange sort of stepfather in her life. She’d adored him as Uncle Charles, either way, and this is just a step up from that. Erik’s life in Westchester becomes the sort of happiness he used to forbid himself from ever contemplating, lest he set himself up for disappointment. It’s perfect. 

As they sit and watch Nina wrap up her Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, Erik leans over towards Charles and Magda to whisper to them. “Is this everything you expected when we made the move here?” 

“Not at all,” Charles says, chuckling softly. 

Magda gives them both chaste kisses, not caring if the whole mansion sees it. “It’s far better than I’d imagined.” 

Yes, Erik thinks to himself as he gets up to greet Nina with a hug as she steps down from the bimah, this is absolutely perfect. 

**Author's Note:**

> for questions, prompts, or chatting I can be found on tumblr at [sebbym17](http://sebbym17.tumblr.com/)


End file.
